As you know, I’m a serial networker. And as I attend each networking event, I listen to people who have spent THOUSANDS of dollars on seminars and boot camps, and have never closed one transaction. Why is this?

Because although all these seminars and workshops teach the information necessary to locate an opportunity, and assess an opportunity, they don’t teach how to overcome inertia.

Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest.

A Chinese proverb reads the longest journey begins with the first step. Overcoming inertia starts the same way. If you don’t take action, you remain motionless!

What is it that causes this paralysis? Fear of failure? Fear of making a mistake? Fear of actually succeeding? Think of Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, and so many more. Each had many failures before their first success.

Did this stop them from continuing? Obviously not, because they each kept trying and finally became, like so many others, an overnight success! I say – “Fail often so you can succeed quicker.”

Don’t tell anyone, but here’s the real secret for the path to greatness – Start where you are, now! Use what you have, today! Do what you can, this minute! Wait, put your hand down. Please, I just got the feeling that each of you just slapped your forehead with the palm of your hand. This really isn’t rocket science.

Many people I meet look at failure as a negative. Why? I believe that most times, failure is your best teacher. It gives you, if you look at it in a positive light, the experience to NOT make the same mistake a second time.

The ones who have come to my coaching classes hear this all the time, but I’ll mention it here for those that don’t come.

Do you know the difference between education and experience? (Take a minute to think.)

Education is reading the fine print. The smallest font is used for the most important declarations.

Experience is what you gain when you DON”T read the fine print.

Now I want everyone to understand NOT to take this as – hmmm, should I read and get educated, or skip the fine print and get more experience? Read the fine print. Sometimes an education is more valuable than experience.

Set a goal! Get focused! Take action! Plan, finish the chore at hand, then go on to the next assignment. Get disciplined. It’s so much easier to pay the price for discipline, than to pay the price for regret.

Don’t get frustrated and stressed out. Try to realize that your reaction to stress is entirely up to you. Instead of blaming your oversight on something or someone else, take responsibility and learn what not to do next time.

Focus on what you want. Dream small or dream large, but dream about what you want, don’t even think about what you don’t want. Your mind is very powerful. If you think negatively, you will achieve it.

Ever go to a little league game? The score is tied, man on third, two outs, your daughter is going to bat and the last words the coach says are: Don’t strike out! And every time they say this, results in their prophecy being fulfilled. Strike Three!

If only that coach would learn to say, "keep your eye on the ball and hit it to right field!" You will never know how differently the game might end, unless you talk that coach into being positive.

Don’t expect everything to happen overnight. Sales is a process, not an event. It takes time to get through the sales cycle. Take the time, don’t take the short cut.

Concentrate on building and establishing trust, not on being well liked. Achieve trust before you begin the sale. I don’t remember the exact quote, but I’ll paraphrase,” It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well, it goes way beyond this. It’s not what you know, OR even who you know. It’s really who knows you and what you do.

It’s nice to be friendly, but you’re in business. Time is money. Be nice to everyone, but spend your most time with the people who must know, who you are and what you do.

Don’t quit! There are so many people who are willing to help. Find them and talk to them. If you quit, remember that there are only six reasons people will quit. All of them are negative and counter-productive to you and your whole team:

You really didn’t want what you were striving for; you focused on the wrong thing;
You thought it was going to be easy – successful people make it look easier than it is;

You thought you should have succeeded sooner – you cannot rush success;

You stopped believing in yourself, or your mission, or your dream;

You actually allowed someone to discourage you and talk you away from your goal;

You failed to understand that everything meaningful takes time, faith, patience, and yes, action!

And lastly, don’t plan what you are going to work at, you should already know this. Rather, figure out all the information that you need to get and the right questions that you must ask to get this info. And never focus on your problems!

There is only one collection of people who have no problems, and they are all dead. Problems are a sign of life. The more problems you have, the more alive you are!

Feeling better already, right? Now take action! Get up off the couch, go out your front door, and start prospecting for your next opportunity. And remember, it’s not the quantity of prospects that you talk to, it’s the quality of these people.

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